This book was produced by the Blender Foundation (http://www.blender.org) in the Netherlands to demonstrate (and undoubtedly promote) game development in Blender, the open source 3D modeling and animation program. The economic model for the program has been to give away the program, then charge for documentation. This works for me: interested students can download Blender, then pool their knowledge in the creation of their projects. They could then upload their projects to the Blender site, for the admiration of their peers, plus the promulgation and further education of the Blender community. Everybody wins.

The book is an update of one that first appeared in 2002. It includes a clear introduction to Blender, detailing the creation of models in it, the importation of models into it for further manipulation, and their animation. Several chapters follow, each giving the steps for creation of a game using the files provided on the disc that comes with the book. There is an accompanying CD containing files (for Windows, Mac or Linux) to easily create 3D games in Blender, "No programming required!"

No Starch Press, of San Francisco, California, is producing an interesting and eclectic catalog of books, including Manga Guides to Calculus and to Physics. The strong recommendation that this reviewer can give this book is that I plan to redesign a digital media course I will teach Fall semester 2010 in order to make greater use of Blender, and to assign The Blender Gamekit as a required textbook for my students.